I agree. That has been one of the main issues identified by the Road Safety Authority in the context of the worrying trend whereby we have seen road fatalities increase in three of the last four years. Unfortunately, that trend has continued into 2023. As of 20 June, there have been 83 fatalities on Irish roads, an increase of eight compared with the same day last year. These include 20 pedestrians, 36 drivers, 13 passengers, two e-scooter drivers, ten motorcyclists, one cyclist and one pillion passenger. We need t…

On Deputy Ó Cuív's point, significant data have been compiled by the Road Safety Authority on many of the fatalities and the trends across fatalities. Speed and excess speed are key factors in urban areas in cases where pedestrians or cyclists have lost their lives. The wider review of speed limits is also examining the huge inconsistency between speed limits, as well as excessive speed limits, on certain rural roads. If people travelled at these speeds on our roads, they would be completely unsafe. The review, whi…

As I have said previously, once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP. Approximately €491 million of Exchequer…

As Deputy Martin Kenny knows, the Government is funding this road in 2023. Some €400,000 is being allocated, which is allowing it to progress. The decision the Government made on this road-----

No. The decision the Government made on this road was to include it as a key road in the national development plan. The briefing I have received is very clear. It is that the project will assist in the delivery of a high-quality road network along the Atlantic corridor, linking Cork, Limerick, Galway and Sligo. It will provide enhanced regional accessibility in the context of Ireland West Airport Knock and remove through traffic from a number of towns and villages with which the Deputy will be familiar, and that wi…

When it comes to the national development plan, the Government decided to include this as a key road.

I again thank both Deputies for their advocacy for this road and for reflecting the concerns of the local community, which I heard myself when I visited Sligo County Council. I can only emphasise that this road is being included in the national development plan. The allocations for all roads are made annually at the end of the year to allow for continuity of funding. The allocation will be made later on this year in the context of this road and all other roads. That is the case with all of the national roads if the…

It is something that will be discussed in the context of my role with responsibility for road safety.

We must make sure that we take into account any concerns relating to road safety in the context of roads investment.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 53 together. As the Deputies may be aware, the all-island strategic rail review is being undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The results of the review will inform the development of the railway sector on the island of Ireland over the coming decades to 2050, in line with net carbon-zero targets in both jurisdictions. The review is considering the future of the rail network with regard to improving sustainable connectivity betw…

In response to Deputy Shanahan, we support rebalancing and providing opportunities for our regional ports. Rail freight would be an important component of that. Given the overall growth trajectory of the economy and the connection between port capacity and growth in GDP, it is likely that all our ports, including Dublin Port, will have a growth requirement. It is important we look at the economic data and the projections on that. We are ambitious to develop our regional ports and the opportunities that arise from t…

I appreciate everyone's input on this. In response to Deputy Shanahan, there are tremendous opportunities for regional connectivity, providing strategic growth and opportunities as part of the all-island rail review. In response to Deputy Alan Farrell, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has previously outlined the order for battery electric carriages. Across the Government, we are ambitious on electrifying our network where possible, while having that overall development. I appreciate his input on that. As Deputy Ó C…

I appreciate the opportunity to provide an update on the transport delivery task force as set out in the Climate Action Plan 2023, CAP23. As the Deputy will know, the Government has established six climate delivery task forces in key sectoral areas. Transport's task force is known as the sustainable mobility policy, SMP, leadership group. Of the 15 transport-related work programmes identified in the Annex of Actions in CAP23, ten fall under the remit of the SMP leadership group. Not surprisingly, these programmes a…

The pathfinder programme, consisting of 35 sustainable mobility projects, will be delivered around the country over the next three years. The programme, which was launched in October 2022, aims to bring increased momentum to the delivery of projects at a local level, providing templates that can be replicated elsewhere with a strong emphasis on experimental and innovative approaches. The 35 projects selected to form part of the programme encompass the following: significant road space reallocation projects favourin…

I fully agree. It is very important in all of the investment decisions and change that we are trying to make that we bring people with us. People need clear messaging and awareness of climate action and the other benefits of sustainable mobility, including the benefits to individuals, families, communities and businesses. Achieving a shift to zero or low carbon transfer modes, including active travel and public transport, will require significant buy-in. There is a lot of work going on. As part of the national sust…

The National Transport Authority is overseeing the delivery of the BusConnects programme in our five major cities, including Galway, which will be substantially delivered in all five cities by 2030. BusConnects Galway will be a major enhancement to the bus system in Galway, comprising changes to the network, the fleet, ticketing, bus shelters and poles, and the development of bus lanes and other bus priority measures. The largest part of the programme is the development of bus priority measures and bus lanes throug…

I thank both Deputies for their remarks. Like Deputy Farrell, I welcome the fact there has been progress on a night bus for the city. As the Deputies know, the public consultation closed on 2 June and the redesign will be finalised in the coming months. I will reflect the Deputy's feedback and that of Deputy Ó Cuív on Mervue and the bus stop there. The intention of a network redesign is not to take away transport connectivity from people who have it at present. We will reflect what has been said to the National Tra…

I thank the Deputy for her remarks. We will reflect the feedback from today to the NTA. Other iterations of consultations related to BusConnects in Dublin were responsive. If one looks at the original plan compared with today there have been a lot of changes through proper public engagement and engagement with local representatives. We will reflect the points made. I am sure there have been a lot of submissions made in Mervue and other places relating to the specific network redesign. It is not set in stone. There …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 18 and 20 together. An underspend for quarter 1 is quite normal and is largely related to the timing of expenditure within the year. It is anticipated that all spending allocations for capital projects will be used by the end of the year. The first quarter underspend is primarily in four areas: greenways, electric vehicle, EV, grant schemes and infrastructure, public transport investment and national roads. Expenditure of €6.47 million was profiled for greenways in the first qua…

I thank everyone for their input. Deputy Duncan Smith referred to a number of projects for which he advocates. This requires forensic assessment and is getting that and scrutiny in the Department. We will examine the second quarter and the projections there. On Deputy Ó Cuív's point, if repurposing is going to happen, it will have to happen in early autumn or late summer in order that the capital can be spent. Decisions being made in November or December does not have the same effect. As regards Deputy Patricia Rya…